Kate and I finally got a chance to catch up over lunch! And since it isn't Monday, we decided to try Mangia Mangia (on the Downtown Mall) again. This time we met success - the little italian restaurant was open (sadly though, Billy Joel was missing from the scene).
We started with the Bruschetta, which was decent, but not breath-taking. It took a while for us to be served, and I have a sneaky feeling that it had a few minutes to sit before it was brought out to us - as evidenced in our soggy bread.
My caprese sandwich was my sad attempt at not getting the caprese salad (I try not to be predictable. I clearly failed here. Huzzah.) It was yummy- I mean, it was basically caprese on bread, so I was happy, but I have two disappointments: 1. the bread it came on was more a bun than the sliced bread I was expecting (and consequently sat like a rock in my tummy), and 2. It made me WICKED sick about two hours later. Like, "go home from work and get some pepto in you before the sandwich makes its way back up" kind of sick. It um, was kinda sucky.
Now, all that being said, I fully admit some of that sick is just poor ordering judgement on my part. The oil on the bruschetta paired with the cheese in the sandwich just don't mix well in the middle of your work day. I will definitely try Mangia Mangia again, and will be a little smarter about both what I order, and making sure I have more than an hour to kill there.
three golden forks out of five.
Kate: Bruschetta and the Chicken Toscana Sandwich
Off we went back to the Kalamazoo Mall for lunch. This time, with the intent of hitting up Mangia Mangia. Italian sounded good. So, why the heck not? Kristin's note about the slowness of the service is one that should be expanded upon. My thoughts... if you are going to offer a weekday lunch menu in an area where lots of business people dine, you should probably think about speeding it up. We were definitely late getting back to work as we sat and waited for our sandwiches for quite some time. Boo!
The brushchetta was alright. It was really onion-y, which is not how I prefer it. And, soggy bread was definitely a problem in this appetizer. Overall, not bad, but as brushchetta goes, I would probably not order it again from this establishment.
They did allow us to sub side salads for the homemade chips that are usually served with the sandwiches. That was nice. Lightened up the lunch a bit. And, the salads weren't bad. The dressing was yummy. La Cantina I think it was called. A light Italian vinaigrette. Clearly something I like. But, there was a strange collection of things on the salad, including green peppers, which just didn't quite go with the rest of the ingredients.
When my sandwich arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was sliced chicken breast, deli-style, as opposed to a grilled chicken breast. Grilled chicken breasts can make sandwiches like that seem soggy and this was a good solution to that. That sandwich was tasty. The red peper aioli added a nice bite to the other ingredients. Yum. The best part of the meal by far. I would order this sandwich again.
We both agreed that this was maybe not the best lunch time expereince. I think we will try to go back soon and experience Mangia Mangia for dinner.
three golden forks out of five.
The brushchetta was alright. It was really onion-y, which is not how I prefer it. And, soggy bread was definitely a problem in this appetizer. Overall, not bad, but as brushchetta goes, I would probably not order it again from this establishment.
They did allow us to sub side salads for the homemade chips that are usually served with the sandwiches. That was nice. Lightened up the lunch a bit. And, the salads weren't bad. The dressing was yummy. La Cantina I think it was called. A light Italian vinaigrette. Clearly something I like. But, there was a strange collection of things on the salad, including green peppers, which just didn't quite go with the rest of the ingredients.
When my sandwich arrived, I was pleasantly surprised to see that it was sliced chicken breast, deli-style, as opposed to a grilled chicken breast. Grilled chicken breasts can make sandwiches like that seem soggy and this was a good solution to that. That sandwich was tasty. The red peper aioli added a nice bite to the other ingredients. Yum. The best part of the meal by far. I would order this sandwich again.
We both agreed that this was maybe not the best lunch time expereince. I think we will try to go back soon and experience Mangia Mangia for dinner.
three golden forks out of five.
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